ससा & कासव: Moral Behind the Story

Good Old ससा & कासव

Childhood:

The very famous phrase " लहानपण देगा देवा " explains everything @childhood.

There are so many thing one can relate to his childhood. One of the most common would be the very famous bedtime stories. I was not one of the eager children who was curious to listen stories while sleeping. "निद्रादेवी" has always been kind to me. I easily felt asleep as soon as I greet my bed.

But there are children’s who won’t sleep unless & until they hear a story. So bedtime story responsibility lies with either of the parents or grandparents which are always keen to tell lot of stuff.

I don’t remember sleeping listening to a story. My grandparents use to tell me lot of their real life experiences & similar stuff. I was very excited to listen the same, it used to make my day.

Coming back to the bedtime stories, yes these were also very interesting & importantly had a moral behind each & every story. The story teller needs to have a real talent, the story, the narration, the language, each & everything depends upon the audience & it’s a small kid who is unaware of the outside world, so the narrator has to match the thinking & understanding level of the child. Use examples which the child can co-relate & understand easily, without losing the motto/stream of the story.

I was never a narrator like what I have mentioned above. Yes I am very close to my nephews & niece, & always spent a lot of time with them when they are around. I can easily spend an entire day with them, without kids getting bore, but for sleeping time I hand them over to their mother who do the job at their best.

I tried telling my nephews bedtime story, believe me it’s a real challenge to tell a child a bedtime story because they keep on asking questions which u can’t even imagine & importantly can’t even answer.

Things changed since arrival of my son Chinmay. Personally, I had never ever hold a small child less than 1 month or so, not even my nephews or niece for instance (before there neck is strong enough to hold my itself) “मान धरण्या आधी”.

But the joy & pleasure to hold the small little life in your hands & to feel the heart-beat, the feeling is just amazing, I was one of the happiest Father to have a Child & so were my parents.

Tables turn from the very moment when u get to know that you are an expected father. This is when responsibility kicks off. So the training of becoming a good Dad starts from this very moment.

Children check your patience level to the limit. This is when we realize & praise our parents, how did they manage to grow us up.

Well Chinmay is a naughty kid & even he did check our patient level. From being awake at night, from playing the entire day out, from running on the roads, from not dressing up & the list goes on & on…

The biggest problems with kids is the language barrier, they can’t speak & we just have to judge upon their reaction. But all mothers do understand their language very well, Mothers Bond has always been special.

Chinmay is now growing up & can remember the names of all his siblings. “Nilam” my “बायको” has taught him, a lot of poems which he mumbles before going to sleep. That’s Chinmays’ daily routine before sleep, like a practice of recalling what he did & said the entire day “ह्या बाबतीत पोरगं बाबा वर गेलंय”….!!!!!

So it was April & exam time was over for my nephews & importantly my niece had finished her 10th examination & now they were planning to go for a trip.

I was in Pune with Nilam & Chinmay. Chinmays mama was with us for vacation with his father i.e. my father in law.

My Sisters had planned to travel to Hyderabad. As planned they came to my place on Sunday along with my father. So now in my home were me, Nilam, My 2 nephews, my niece, my 2 sisters, my father, my father in law & happiest little fellow Chinmay, who dint knew how to react seeing these many people.

We had a very nice timing laughing & playing around with Chinmay. Amusingly Chinmay enacted all in very cute manner.

Monday morning, Chinmay was shouting for his “अत्तु “in sleep. He cried a lot when we I went to drop them to airport & my father went back home with my father in law.

Chinmay like all kids has a habit to have a round in his grandfather’s car daily while he goes to office, but that day as my sisters were about to leave & also he was travelling back to Kolhapur, he dint take Chinmay for a small round near home. Believe me Chinmay a 2 year boy kept it in mind & dint talked with his grandfather for 2 days. Well that’s how kids are meant to be.

Chinmay cried for more than an hour, calling names of all members. Day was long for my wife as she had to console Chinmay & tell him story that they have went to school & will come back with his father.

He was waiting for me at the entrance of the society. We had small lap on CBZ. Chinmay likes to seat in the front seat of CBZ & blow horn. I parked the bike & came upstairs. Nilam explained Chinmays loud behavior the whole day as he was alone. She had wake up early for preparing breakfast & later Chinmay dint even sleep for the entire day.

As a regular habit I play with Chinmay for 10-15 minutes as I come from office. I did the same that day. Nilam also had a long day & said she won’t eat food as she wasn’t feeling well.

I had my Dinner with Chinmay on my lap & Nilam on my left side & Chinmays Mama on right side. Post dinner I went to bedroom to prepare the bed for sleep. Daily I ask Chinmay “जु बाला करनार...?” and the answer is " नको भुर्र्र जाऊया”....!!!"

I was expecting the same, but surprisingly he said " चिन्मय जु बाला करनार”...!!!"

I was lying on the Bed & Chinmay jumped on my stomach. He seats there for a while. I asked him " गोष्ट सांगू...!!! He replied सांगू..!!!

I was totally confused what to tell now as I dint even know a single story.

Chinmay said “ससा.....” he knows the Sassa re Sassa marathi Poem.

Everyone know the famous story of “ससा आणि कासव”, I started telling him the same. But you should have patience, skills & technique to tell the story. I used to tell him one sentence, he used to repeat the last work.....

एका जंगलात ससा राहतं असतो,,,,,Chinmay said,,,असतो...!!!!

He used to introduce his new characters in between, like he said “मासा ". Now complementing what Chinmay said, I added a new Character Masa in the Story. Chinmay was repeating the last word of every line I was saying.

He was sleeping on my shoulder,,,, He used to seat up & hold my face & tell " मासा ", then I  used to tell him how we show masa by putting hand over the other & waving the thumbs.

The story continued Sassa- the rabbit had a race with Tortoise. As expected Sassa went ahead when he saw behind there was no-one ,,, He went for a small Nap....Kasav-the tortoise came, saw the rabbit sleeping & went ahead & you know the rest..

After a while I remember myself mumbling something, It was like dejavu, I was repeating what I had said before. I slowly saw that Chinmay was sleeping with his head on my shoulder & hand on my chest.

I saw the watch, I dint believe myself it was more than 30 mins since I had started the story. I had slept along with Chinmay telling him the Sassa & Kasav story,,,,,,,!!!!!

I was so happy that for the first time my Son had slept listening to his fathers bed-time Story, but very much amused with myself, that even I had slept along with him. I went in hall to check with Nilam even she & Chimays’ Mama had slept watching television.

God bless the person who wrote ससा & कासव story, He made the relation bond stronger.

Thats Chinmay at his Patented little space to Sleep.....Ewwww